Ludicolo (Ubers) [GP 1/2] ready for 2nd GP



[OVERVIEW]

Ludicolo's unique Water / Grass typing and good special bulk allow it to check Kyogre extremely effectively; it is one of the few viable Pokemon that can safely switch into Kyogre's Water Spout multiple times, allowing the rest of your team to focus on checking other threats. In addition, its access to Leech Seed and Rain Dance makes it a massive pain to take down if rain is up and Ludicolo finds a turn to safely use Leech Seed. In conjunction with Substitute, Ludicolo is capable of stalling the foe with Substitute + Leech Seed + Protect for long periods of time. In a pinch, Ludicolo can even attempt to check Pokemon such as Palkia and support Groudon. However, Ludicolo is extremely physically frail, so even neutral attacks such as Giratina-O's Dragon Claw are capable of inflicting severe damage. Ludicolo also lacks many resistances, which limits the pool of Pokemon it can check, although the Water and Ground resistances are useful.

[SET]

name: Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Ice Beam / Surf
item: Life Orb
ability: Rain Dish
nature: Calm
evs: 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Leech Seed grants Ludicolo significant recovery in conjunction with Rain Dish and Leftovers while slowly wearing down the foe. Substitute is useful on Ludicolo to shield it from status while it sets up a Leech Seed cycle; because Ludicolo can restore approximately 25% of its health per turn so long as the foe is seeded, it can continue to use Substitute indefinitely until the opponent's Pokemon either faints or switches out. Protect increases Ludicolo's ability to stall and allows it to last longer. It also allows Ludicolo to scout Choice-locked Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Palkia. The last moveslot is dedicated to an attack of your choice. Ice Beam is probably Ludicolo's best option, as it OHKOes Rayquaza after Stealth Rock and always breaks Giratina-O's Substitute. On more offensive teams, Icy Wind can be used over Ice Beam to slow down the opponent's Pokemon to assist its teammates. Surf is another STAB option that has the added benefit of being boosted by rain. It is Ludicolo's only move that can break Ho-Oh's Substitute, and it can also chip away at Pokemon like Taunt Mewtwo, Skarmory, Forretress, and Scizor. Grass Knot is a reliable and strong move that can be used to, at worst, 3HKO all Kyogre variants while also hitting Groudon and Tyranitar hard. However, it has rather poor coverage and is generally inferior to the other moves listed.

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]

Try to keep Ludicolo hidden in the early parts of the game, as the element of surprise is critical to getting a free Substitute against a Pokemon such as Kyogre or Choice Scarf Palkia; your opponent is more likely to lock themselves into Water-type moves if they are not aware that you are using a Ludicolo. Ludicolo greatly appreciates Toxic Spikes support, as it allows Ludicolo to wear down the opposing team with passive damage much more quickly. Forretress is a good option as a Toxic Spikes user due to its access to Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated because Ludicolo despises Toxic Spikes itself. Kyogre is a mandatory teammate to allow Ludicolo to take advantage of Rain Dish, which dramatically increases Ludicolo's potency as a wall. Surprisingly, Groudon is also a good teammate due to its ability to handle Pokemon that threaten Ludicolo, such as Taunt Heatran and Bulk Up Dialga. Do note that while Ludicolo is not completely useless outside of rain, the sun Groudon provides is obviously a downside to using it as a teammate. Another good partner is Roar Heatran, which can deal with Substitute users such as Ho-Oh and Shaymin-S lacking Ground-type coverage. Heatran also provides excellent defensive synergy with Ludicolo in general due to its immunity to Poison, resistance to Flying, and quadruple resistance to Bug. In return, Ludicolo resists common Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Toxic is an option if you cannot fit a Toxic Spikes user onto your team, but Ludicolo really doesn't have room for it. Giga Drain might look attractive at first to grant Ludicolo extra recovery, but it is very weak (60 Base Power is underwhelming in Ubers) and Ludicolo does not need the extra recovery. Focus Blast garners a super effective hit on Dialga but is inaccurate and cannot even 3HKO specially defensive Dialga variants. Finally, Ludicolo can attempt to run a Swift Swim set, with Grass-type STAB moves and access to Focus Blast setting it apart from other swift swim users. However, Ludicolo's underwhelming base 90 Special Attack and inability to outrun fast Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Garchomp significantly hinder its performance in this role. Kabutops, Kingdra, and Omastar are almost always better choices if you want to use a Swift Swim user. Never use Swords Dance Ludicolo; it is far too weak to accomplish anything of note. Overall, it is generally best to stick with the listed set, as Ludicolo functions worse if one of its main moves is replaced.

Checks and Counters
========

RestTalk Dialga with Bulk Up can easily set up on Ludicolo and PP stall it with Pressure, and even the rare Focus Blast Ludicolo cannot break through it. Opposing Substitute users that have an immunity to Toxic Spikes are a massive hassle for Ludicolo, unless its coverage move can break their Substitute. Ho-Oh, Heatran, and Giratina-O are all extremely threatening to Ludicolo and its team if they set up a Substitute on Ludicolo that it cannot break. Taunt users such as Mewtwo and Heatran can also stop Ludicolo from landing a Leech Seed, although the latter fears Surf if rain is up. Toxic Spikes dramatically impacts Ludicolo's ability to last very long, especially if two layers are up by the time Ludicolo enters the field of play. Ludicolo should generally switch out of entry hazard setters, as it will surrender multiple layers to them before finally knocking them out. Forretress is of particular concern, as Rapid Spin can remove both Ludicolo's Leech Seed and entry hazards from its own side of the field. Specially defensive Skarmory and Deoxys-D can set up Spikes while using Recover to stay healthy. Shaymin-S is immune to Leech Seed, resists both of Ludicolo's STAB moves, and can threaten Ludicolo back with its STAB Air Slash, but it must make sure Ludicolo does not carry Ice coverage before attempting to switch in. Calm Mind Latias and Latios dislike Icy Wind and Leech Seed but can set up Calm Minds on Ludicolo fairly easily. Changing the weather will not completely shut down Ludicolo, but that can at least cut off its Rain Dish recovery. Finally, if all else fails, Ludicolo is very physically frail and takes solid damage from even resisted attacks; powerful neutral attacks such as Life Orb Rayquaza's Outrage will take down Ludicolo in one hit.

[Overview]

-Unique typing and good special bulk allows it to check Kyogre extremely effectively
-Access to Leech Seed and Rain Dish make it a massive pain to take down if rain is up
-Very vulnerable on the physical side
-Not many useful resistances, but Water and Ground are good

[Set]

Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
- Ice Beam / Surf

[Set Comments]

-Based Kyogre check, also does OK vs. stuff like Palkia 1-1
-Leech Seed provides an additional form of recovery while slowly draining away the opponent's health
-Substitute on something can cannot threaten Ludicolo much...after a Leech Seed, Ludicolo will recover 25% of its health if rain is up, so Substitute is more spammable on this than most other Pokemon
-Protect increases Ludicolo's ability to stall, allows it to live longer and scouts Choice-locked pokemon such as Scarf Palkia
-Last move is dedicated to an attack; Ice Beam hits Dragons (can break Giratina-O's Substitute and destroys Rayquaza after SR for example) whereas Surf will hit most targets for acceptable chip damage if rain is up
-Grass Knot? (Or should this be OO)

[Additional Comments]

-Toxic Spikes support is excellent with this, as once it gets behind a Substitute -- and it will usually find opportunities in this metagame -- it can quickly wear out the opponent with Poison+Leech Seed damage
-Generally try to keep this hidden in the early parts of the game, as the element of surprise is useful for attaining a free Substitute on something like Scarf Kyogre/Palkia (they are more like to use a Water move if they don't know you have a Ludicolo)
-Kyogre is a necessary teammate when using this since Ludicolo enjoys the Rain Dish recovery to increase its longevity and help stall out the opponent; Ludicolo isn't useless outside of rain though
-Groudon threatens Rest/Bulk Up Dialga and Taunt Heatran, two Pokemon that Ludicolo struggles against
-Roar Heatran deals with Ho-Oh and Shaymin-S lacking Earth Power...it has an immunity to Poison, quadruple resistance to Bug and a resistance to Flying moves, all of which Ludicolo are weak to, and in turn Ludicolo resists Water and Ground moves

[Other Options]

-Toxic can help stall if you lack Toxic Spikes, but Ludi doesn't really have room for it
-Giga Drain may look attractive but 60 BP is terrible and Ludi has enough recovery as is
-Focus Blast helps wear down Dialga but is inaccurate and lacks STAB
-Swift Swim set has very nice coverage but is weaker and slower than Kabutops and Kingdra
-Generally best to stick to listed set

[Checks & Counters]

-Rest/Sleep Talk/Bulk Up Dialga
-Opposing Substitute users immune to Toxic Spikes, like Ho-Oh and CM Giratina-O
-Taunt Mewtwo/Heatran (latter fears Surf in the rain)
-Hazard layers like Forretress, which can spin/set up hazards (Surf will dent Careful variant in rain but it doesn't 2HKO) also Skarmory Deoxys-D may not win vs ludi 1-1 but can set up plenty of hazards
-Toxic Spikes
-Shaymin-S (can't switch into/take an Ice Beam)
-Changing the weather
-Most strong physical attackers (Lucario/Rayquaza/Heracross)
 
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Inspirited

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While not a common threat (at all), Calm Mind Manaphy can PP stall Ludicolo's substitutes while still setting up in the process (Surf, Ice Beam, and even Grass Knot all tickle it at worst). Manaphy can even begin breaking ludi's subs with Surf at +5 which means it can save some Ice Beam PP for later if it wants. You can always play PP games with Protect of course but Manaphy has a lot of filler Calm Mind PP to combat this. Ice Beam 3HKOs at +6 after Leftovers, Rain Dish, and Leech Seed and it isn't hard to save these Ice Beams if you are smart enough to get to +5 / +6 before you start attacking in order to be able to alternate between Surf and Ice Beam accordingly. There are games that can be played here, but Manaphy will win a lot of the time (although over half of its attacking PP will be used in the process).

Edit: on the Grass Knot thing, it makes it so Ludicolo has a much easier time punishing other weather inducers (other than Abomasnow) and gives it a much stronger option to hit Palkia with, but it's much too bad that it literally has zero room for it. I would say keep it as a moves mention personally, but since when has my opinion amounted to anything lol.
 
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Theorymon

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Ok, time to dust off the cobwebs and give this a check so you can finally start writing this :P

-I'd mention the whole "4x resists Water Spout" thing in the overview. It's big deal for Ludicolo, because Kyogre is such a HUGE threat, plus it can help free up your team slots since Ludicolo can act as a designated Water Spout switch-in.

-Mention that Surf breaks Ho-Oh's Substitutes in the Rain. This comes in handy if you already have a Sub up, if you have Ice Beam or Grass Knot, Ho-Oh can actually beat you in the rain with its own Sub >_>

-I'd keep the mention for Grass Knot. It's the only way you're going to 2HKO Groudon, which is pretty valuable honestly, especially against dual weather teams (which were a thing in gen 4). It does 63% minimum to defensive Groudon. I mean, I wish it did more, but in the fast paced action of gen 4 Ubers, doing that much to Groudon can be huge! It also breaks Substitute Kyogre's subs, which is always nice.

-Make sure you mention that Ludicolo isnt a big fan of the sun when you mention Groudon as a teammate. Keep the Groudon mention though: Checking BU Dialga can be a real pain in the ass, and Groudon is one of the premier checks to it lol. Also: Groudon is NOT a fan of Heatran's Fire-type attacks, with even Lava Pluming being able to 2HKO occasionally (especially with the whole burn factor). Thankfully, Kyogre is Heatran's worst nightmare (except for that crazy Sunny Day set I tried ages ago, but that's another story lol)

-For teammates, I recall some of us using offensive Dialga. Dialga can be ok against Ho-Oh when its raining (watch out for Earthquake ones), can surprise Heatran with Earth Power, and you can nail Groudon switch-ins with Draco Meteor.

-For Toxic Spikers, mention the standard Forretress. As a bonus, Forretress can also spin away hazards after the spin blocker is down. Especially handy since Ludicolo despises Toxic Spikes.

-I know you don't like Swift Swim, and I cant remember what we decided on that years ago in late gen 4, so you can leave it in other options for now. Just make sure to mention that as a Swift Swimmer, the ability to OHKO Groudon is pretty unique, and 2HKOing Dialga with Focus Blast is neat too.

-Mention Swords Dance in other options, as more of a "warning". I KNOW we rejected this one at least lol. Basically, its mostly outclassed by Kabutops and Qwilphish, with the only real selling point being the Grass-typing and STAB.

Otherwise..


QC Approved 2/3

You can finally write this thing =D
 
Icy Wind is worth mentioning. Ludi won't be outrunning much with it itself but slowing down Mewtwo/Darkrai/Palkia for a teammate can be really huge. Once I slowed down a Giratina-O and my own Gira with 0 Speed beat it to the Shadow Sneak for game. Obviously Ice Beam's power can be good for Rayquaza (always kills w sr) but the power isn't that important otherwise and IW is something that can be quite useful. Definitely moreso than Focus Blast at least

200 HP gives a Rain Dish number for maximum recovery! (I think)

Looks good otherwise
 

Theorymon

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Checking over the write up, only things I can think of to mention is that a nice thing about Surf in the rain is that it can really mess up some Pokemon that may expect Ice Beam. Obviously it fucks up Heatran, but it also does nice chip damage against Taunt Mewtwo. Scizor, and Forretress, who can be very annoying when you go with Ice Beam.

The other thing is that I'd mention Latias in counters. Latias isn't really a big fan of being Leech Seeded, but without Toxic, it can set up Calm Mind on Ludicolo pretty easily, and the fact that it has recovery itself means that Ludicolo isn't gonna outstall it unless its been Toxic poisoned.

Otherwise this looks fine to me!
 

Empress

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[Overview]

Ludicolo's unique Water / Grass typing and good special bulk allows it to check Kyogre extremely effectively; it is one of the few viable Pokemon that can safely switch into Kyogre's Water Spout multiple times, allowing the rest of your team to focus on checking other threats. In addition, its access to Leech Seed and Rain Dance make is it a massive pain to take down if rain is up and Ludicolo finds a turn to safely use Leech Seed. In conjunction with Substitute, Ludicolo is capable of stalling the opponent foe with Substitute + Leech Seed + Protect for long periods of time. In a pinch, Ludicolo can even attempt to check Pokemon such as Palkia and support Groudon. However, Ludicolo does have its limitations, however. It is extremely vulnerable on the physically frail side, so even neutral attacks such as Giratina-O's Dragon Claw are capable of inflicting severe damage. Ludicolo also lacks many resistances, (AC) which limits the pool of Pokemon it can check, although the Water and Ground resistances are useful. Ludicolo needs a fair amount of support to function effectively, but on the right team, it can prove to be a valuable asset.

[Set]

Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
- Ice Beam / Surf
(How old is this format?)


name: (whatever you like)
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Ice Beam / Surf
item: Life Orb
ability: Rain Dish
nature: Calm
evs: 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpD


[Set Comments]

Leech Seed is Ludicolo's most important move, as it grants Ludicolo significant recovery in conjunction with Rain Dish and Leftovers while slowly wearing down the opponent foe. Substitute is useful on Ludicolo to shield it from status while setting up a Leech Seed cycle; because Ludicolo can restore approximately 25% of its health per turn so long as the opponent foe is seeded, Ludicolo can continue to use Substitute indefinitely until the opponent's pokemon Pokemon either faints or switches out. Protect increases Ludicolo's ability to stall and allows it to last longer. It also allows Ludicolo to scout Choice-locked Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Palkia. The last moveslot is dedicated to an attack of your choice. Ice Beam is probably Ludicolo's best option, as it OHKOes Rayquaza after Stealth Rock and always breaks Giratina-O's Substitute. On more offensive teams, Icy Wind can be used over Ice Beam to slow down the opponent's Pokemon to assist its teammates. Surf is another STAB option that has the added benefit of being boosted by rain. It is Ludicolo's only move that can break Ho-Oh's Substitute, and it can also chip away at Pokemon like Taunt Mewtwo, Skarmory, Forretress, and Scizor. Grass Knot is a reliable and strong move that can be used to, at worst, 3HKO all Kyogre variants while also hitting Groudon and Tyranitar hard. However, it has rather poor coverage and is generally inferior to the other moves listed.

[Additional Comments]

Try to keep Ludicolo hidden in the early parts of the game, as the element of surprise is critical to getting a free Substitute against a Pokemon such as Kyogre or Choice Scarf Palkia; your opponent is more likely to lock themselves spam (Unless you're referring to Choice item users on the opposing team?) into Water-type moves if they are not aware that you are using a Ludicolo. Ludicolo greatly appreciates Toxic Spikes support, as they it allows Ludicolo to wear down the opponent opposing team with passive damage much more quickly. Forretress is a good idea to use option as a Toxic Spikes user due to its access to Rapid Spin, which allows it to potentially clear Ludicolo's side of the field of entry hazards. As Ludicolo despises Toxic Spikes itself, the Rapid Spin support is greatly appreciated. Kyogre is a mandatory teammate to allow Ludicolo to take advantage of Rain Dish, which dramatically increases Ludicolo's potency as a wall. Surprisingly, Groudon is also a good teammate due to its ability to handle Pokemon that threaten Ludicolo, such as Taunt Heatran and Bulk Up Dialga. Do note that while Ludicolo is not completely useless outside of rain, the sun Groudon provides is obviously a downside to using it as a teammate. Another good partner is Roar Heatran, which can deal with Substitute users such as Ho-Oh and Shaymin-S lacking Ground-(remove space)type coverage. Heatran also provides excellent defensive synergy with Ludicolo in general due to its immunity to Poison moves, resistance to Flying moves, and quadruple resistance to Bug moves. In return, Ludicolo resists common Water- and Ground-(remove space)type attacks aimed at Heatran.

[Other Options]

Toxic is an option if your team cannot fit a Toxic Spikes user onto your team, but Ludicolo really doesn't have room for it. Giga Drain might look attractive at first to grant Ludicolo extra recovery, but it is very weak (60 Base Power is underwhelming in Ubers) (and in general) and Ludicolo does not need the extra recovery. Focus Blast garners a super effective hit on Dialga, (RC) but is inaccurate and cannot even 3HKO specially defensive Dialga variants. Finally, Ludicolo can attempt to run a Swift Swim set, with grass Grass-type STAB moves and access to Focus Blast setting it apart from other swift swim users. However, Ludicolo's underwhelming base 90 special attack Special Attack and inability to outrun fast Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Garchomp significantly hinder its performance in this role. Kabutops, Kingdra, and Omastar are almost always better choices if you want to use a Swift Swim user. (I was quite surprised to learn how mediocre Swift Swim Ludicolo is.) Never use Swords Dance Ludicolo; it is far too weak to accomplish anything of note. In general, it is generally best to stick with the listed set, as Ludicolo functions worse if one of its main moves is replaced.

[Checks & Counters]

Rest(remove space)Talk Dialga with Bulk Up can easily set up on Ludicolo and PP stall it with Pressure, and even the rare Focus Blast Ludicolo cannot break through it. Opposing Substitute users that have an immunity to Toxic Spikes are a massive hassle for Ludicolo, unless its coverage move can break their Substitute. Ho-Oh, Heatran, and Giratina-O are all extremely threatening to Ludicolo and its team if they set up a Substitute on Ludicolo that it cannot break. Taunt users such as Mewtwo and Heatran can also stop Ludicolo from landing a Leech Seed, although the latter fears Surf if rain is up. Toxic Spikes dramatically impacts Ludicolo's ability to last very long, especially if two layers are up by the time Ludicolo enters the field of play. Ludicolo should generally switch out of entry hazard setters, as it will surrender multiple layers to them before finally knocking them out. Forretress is of particular concern, as Rapid Spin can remove both Ludicolo's Leech Seed and entry hazards from its own side of the field. Specially defensive Skarmory and Deoxys-D can set up Spikes while using Recover to stay healthy. Shaymin-S is immune to Leech Seed, resists both of Ludicolo's STAB moves, and can threaten Ludicolo back with its STAB Air Slash, but it must make sure Ludicolo does not carry Ice coverage before attempting to switch in. Calm Mind Latias and Latios dislike Icy Wind and Leech Seed, (RC) but can set up Calm Minds on it fairly easily. Changing the weather will not completely shut down Ludicolo, but that can at least cut off its Rain Dish recovery. Finally, if all else fails, Ludicolo is very physically frail on the physical side and takes solid damage from even resisted attacks; powerful neutral attacks such as Life Orb Rayquaza's Outrage will take down Ludicolo in one hit.
GP 1/2
 
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Lumari

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add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[Overview] [OVERVIEW]
Ludicolo's unique Water / Grass typing and good special bulk allows allow it to check Kyogre extremely effectively; it is one of the few viable Pokemon that can safely switch into Kyogre's Water Spout multiple times, allowing the rest of your team to focus on checking other threats. In addition, its access to Leech Seed and Rain Dance make is makes it a massive pain to take down if rain is up and Ludicolo finds a turn to safely use Leech Seed. In conjunction with Substitute, Ludicolo is capable of stalling the foe with Substitute + Leech Seed + Protect for long periods of time. In a pinch, Ludicolo can even attempt to check Pokemon such as Palkia and support Groudon. However, Ludicolo is extremely physically frail, so even neutral attacks such as Giratina-O's Dragon Claw are capable of inflicting severe damage. Ludicolo also lacks many resistances, which limits the pool of Pokemon it can check, although the Water and Ground resistances are useful.

[Set] [SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Ice Beam / Surf
item: Life Orb
ability: Rain Dish
nature: Calm
evs: 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpD

[Set Comments]

[SET COMMENTS]
Leech Seed grants Ludicolo significant recovery in conjunction with Rain Dish and Leftovers while slowly wearing down the foe. Substitute is useful on Ludicolo to shield it from status while setting it sets up a Leech Seed cycle; because Ludicolo can restore approximately 25% of its health per turn so long as the foe is seeded, Ludicolo it can continue to use Substitute indefinitely until the opponent's Pokemon either faints or switches out. Protect increases Ludicolo's ability to stall and allows it to last longer. It also allows Ludicolo to scout Choice-locked Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Palkia. The last moveslot is dedicated to an attack of your choice. Ice Beam is probably Ludicolo's best option, as it OHKOes Rayquaza after Stealth Rock and always breaks Giratina-O's Substitute. On more offensive teams, Icy Wind can be used over Ice Beam to slow down the opponent's Pokemon to assist its teammates. Surf is another STAB option that has the added benefit of being boosted by rain. It is Ludicolo's only move that can break Ho-Oh's Substitute, and it can also chip away at Pokemon like Taunt Mewtwo, Skarmory, Forretress, and Scizor. Grass Knot is a reliable and strong move that can be used to, at worst, 3HKO all Kyogre variants while also hitting Groudon and Tyranitar hard. However, it has rather poor coverage and is generally inferior to the other moves listed.

[Additional Comments]
[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
Try to keep Ludicolo hidden in the early parts of the game, as the element of surprise is critical to getting a free Substitute against a Pokemon such as Kyogre or Choice Scarf Palkia; your opponent is more likely to lock themselves into Water-type moves if they are not aware that you are using a Ludicolo. Ludicolo greatly appreciates Toxic Spikes support, as it allows Ludicolo to wear down the opposing team with passive damage much more quickly. Forretress is a good option as a Toxic Spikes user due to its access to Rapid Spin, which allows it to potentially clear Ludicolo's side of the field of entry hazards. As is greatly appreciated because Ludicolo despises Toxic Spikes itself, the Rapid Spin support is greatly appreciated. (less repetitive + less dex info) Kyogre is a mandatory teammate to allow Ludicolo to take advantage of Rain Dish, which dramatically increases Ludicolo's potency as a wall. Surprisingly, Groudon is also a good teammate due to its ability to handle Pokemon that threaten Ludicolo, such as Taunt Heatran and Bulk Up Dialga. Do note that while Ludicolo is not completely useless outside of rain, the sun Groudon provides is obviously a downside to using it as a teammate. Another good partner is Roar Heatran, which can deal with Substitute users such as Ho-Oh and Shaymin-S lacking Ground-type coverage. Heatran also provides excellent defensive synergy with Ludicolo in general due to its immunity to Poison, resistance to Flying, and quadruple resistance to Bug. In return, Ludicolo resists common Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran.

[Other Options] [STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========


Toxic is an option if you cannot fit a Toxic Spikes user onto your team, but Ludicolo really doesn't have room for it. Giga Drain might look attractive at first to grant Ludicolo extra recovery, but it is very weak (60 Base Power is underwhelming in Ubers) and Ludicolo does not need the extra recovery. Focus Blast garners a super effective hit on Dialga but is inaccurate and cannot even 3HKO specially defensive Dialga variants. Finally, Ludicolo can attempt to run a Swift Swim set, with Grass-type STAB moves and access to Focus Blast setting it apart from other swift swim users. However, Ludicolo's underwhelming base 90 Special Attack and inability to outrun fast Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Garchomp significantly hinder its performance in this role. Kabutops, Kingdra, and Omastar are almost always better choices if you want to use a Swift Swim user. Never use Swords Dance Ludicolo; it is far too weak to accomplish anything of note. In general Overall, it is generally best to stick with the listed set, as Ludicolo functions worse if one of its main moves is replaced.

[Checks & Counters]
Checks and Counters
========

RestTalk Dialga with Bulk Up can easily set up on Ludicolo and PP stall it with Pressure, and even the rare Focus Blast Ludicolo cannot break through it. Opposing Substitute users that have an immunity to Toxic Spikes are a massive hassle for Ludicolo, unless its coverage move can break their Substitute. Ho-Oh, Heatran, and Giratina-O are all extremely threatening to Ludicolo and its team if they set up a Substitute on Ludicolo that it cannot break. Taunt users such as Mewtwo and Heatran can also stop Ludicolo from landing a Leech Seed, although the latter fears Surf if rain is up. Toxic Spikes dramatically impacts Ludicolo's ability to last very long, especially if two layers are up by the time Ludicolo enters the field of play. Ludicolo should generally switch out of entry hazard setters, as it will surrender multiple layers to them before finally knocking them out. Forretress is of particular concern, as Rapid Spin can remove both Ludicolo's Leech Seed and entry hazards from its own side of the field. Specially defensive Skarmory and Deoxys-D can set up Spikes while using Recover to stay healthy. Shaymin-S is immune to Leech Seed, resists both of Ludicolo's STAB moves, and can threaten Ludicolo back with its STAB Air Slash, but it must make sure Ludicolo does not carry Ice coverage before attempting to switch in. Calm Mind Latias and Latios dislike Icy Wind and Leech Seed but can set up Calm Minds on it Ludicolo fairly easily. Changing the weather will not completely shut down Ludicolo, but that can at least cut off its Rain Dish recovery. Finally, if all else fails, Ludicolo is very physically frail and takes solid damage from even resisted attacks; powerful neutral attacks such as Life Orb Rayquaza's Outrage will take down Ludicolo in one hit.
 
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